Night Shift
by Brazendale
Summary: Set after the end of Season 3,Bill is attempting to get on with his life after his break up with Sookie and her disappearance while at the same time throwing himself into his new role as King. Underneath it all, more than anything else, he is trying to stave off the loneliness of his new life and come to terms with the fact that Sookie is gone.
1. Chapter 1

Night Shift

This story is set after Bill and Sookie have broken up at the end of Season three and like all my other stories currently posted was written in 2011.

Sookie is gone and Bill is left trying to get on with his life.

My kudos as always go out to Alan Ball, HBO & C Harris without whom none of us would derive so much pleasure.

The character of Sally is mine.

Chapter 1

It had been a long rough night; all nights for that matter were long these days and none longer than the nights I have to visit Fangtasia and give orders to Eric. Oh I know that I could have summoned him to come to me but that only aggravates the situation even more. At least I can leave when it is my choosing, unlike the initial unpleasantness the first time I summoned him and had to have my guards escort him out after his accusations of my involvement in Queen Sophie Ann's death became too dangerous to continue. But that is months ago now and I have learnt from my mistakes. That's all I seem to be doing now, learning from the mistakes I have made in the past.

Having had the responsibility of Kingship thrust upon me I take my duties seriously but they are a burden to me, one that I could do without. If left to my own devices I would happily meet the sun now that Sookie is gone. I have not felt her since the night she found out the half truths that Eric so confidently told her. The memory of her heart shattering when she looked at me for the truth, and I could not give her what she wanted to hear, her face twisted in anger, betrayal and tears; the hurt she felt was forever imbedded in my brain.

I am beyond the sadness and beyond the pain. The guilt will never leave me. To know I have broken and crushed the one thing that had bought me back to life…now all that is keeping me going is my duty and of course Jessica. It is ironical that of all the lies and deceptions from Eric, the one truth he did speak was that of the fulfilment of a maker and the bond with their progeny. Jessica is the small flicker of light in my dark nights. I am thankful for this small mercy.

The drive back from Shreveport seems to be taking me forever tonight but I don't mind. I have my music to keep me company and at least it gives me time to myself to make further plans for the reconciliation between our kind and humans. There is a lot of ground to make up after the Russell Edgington debacle on live TV. If only Eric and Pam would listen to reason, I know that they don't like Nan Flannigan any more than I do but at the moment she is a necessary evil and she is also the one that has to face the most flak when things don't go to plan.

With the way feelings are running high, she at least appears to be a rational choice to front the AVL, my own personal feelings aside. I can work with her but Eric's feelings on that matter; hmm…. now that's a different story. He doesn't accept her any more than he accepts me as his King. It must have come as quite a shock to him when he heard of Sophie Ann's demise. He had thought he knew all that was going on in that quarter. I had put two and two together and suspected that it was from her he had been informed of my interest in Sookie. What he didn't know at the time was my role in Sophie Ann's court was no more than a smoke screen.

How he felt when he realised how wrong his assumptions and confession to Sookie had been I don't know. Did he feel any remorse for the part he had played in her disappearance as I did, I don't think it had even entered his head? Of course he thinks he knows the whole truth of my first meeting with Sookie, and he blames me for all that happened, but that doesn't matter to me for I know the truth.

It is not something that I will ever discuss with him and he knows better than to question me about it. The only person I will divulge the complete truth to will be Sookie if she asks and now, that is not possible of course and that has added to my guilt in the matter. As for Pam, she will do and think anything that Eric tells her to so I will not even go there, after all he is her maker and that she loves him is beyond doubt.

Dam I need gas, I'll have to find a filling station. I'll mention to Katarina to make sure the car is always filled in the future. I should have remembered to check before leaving but there's just so much to do at the moment. Looks like I'll just make it to that gas station a few miles up ahead, with luck. I can see the lights now so at least I know that they are open. I'll pick up some true blood for the road too while I'm there. True Blood, I had been living on it for so long. I had not fed on a human since Sookie but I can't let myself think about that now.

'Hi, how you doing tonight' the girl behind the counter asked as I walked in to pay for the gas. Apart from myself and the girl, there was no one else in the store. She had a TV to keep her company but that was switched off and she seemed to be engrossed in the book she was reading, as I wondered over to the fridge for my blood. 'We've got other types out the back if you need anything' she called out from up the front of the store. 'Just let me know if you can't find what you want' she smiled.

Walking up to the counter she reluctantly put her book down to take the blood from me. 'Would you like me to heat one of those up for you, one for the road?' she asked. 'Thanks that would be kind of you. Seems kind of quiet in here, do you get many late night customers' I asked looking around at the rows of various items on display. The store seemed to stock everything that you could think of for those quick last minute shopping trips when you run out of something and the supermarket is closed. 'Oh you'd be surprised by the amount of customers we do get. We have regulars of course coming in not just for gas, but on their way home from their regular night out. They have an attack of the munchies on their way home' she laughed 'you know that kind of thing. And we get a lot of drop ins that have run out of something and come in cause we're all that's open at night. Won't be a minute and I'll heat this up for you' she smiled as she walked over to the microwave, shaking up the bottle of blood as she walked.

I took the opportunity to quickly look at the book that she was reading and was surprised by the title as I had read it back in the seventies when it had caused quite a sensation. My curiosity peaked; I took a closer look at her. She was small, blonde and was dressed in jeans with a black Rolling Stones tee shirt from their 1995 tour. Interesting choices but then anyone who was reading Chariots of the Gods and into the Stones I would find an interesting combination. She came back to the counter and handed me my blood. 'Will there be anything else I can help you out with tonight' she asked.

'You can tell me what you think of the book and what your interest in it is.' I replied. 'Well, I just think the book is great. To write something like that back then and the basic theory that perhaps the Gods the ancients were worshipping weren't Gods at all but were maybe aliens, what a profound idea. It got me thinking and I've kind of played with the idea that, what if sometime in the future we find a way of travelling back in time, then maybe our ancestors mistake us for gods or … I don't know. It's kind of too big for me to think about and I'm not really making any sense' she trailed off embarrassed. 'I do know one thing though,' she said adamantly 'nothing is closed to an open mind.'

Now that was something I definitely couldn't argue with her. If only everyone thought like that; how much easier life would be for us all? She was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased to have someone to talk to without being judged for her views and that was also something that I certainly could relate to. 'Have you seen the documentary?' I asked. 'It's a little dated but it's got a really off the wall sound track on it, kind of quirky. And you know that there was a sequel to the book. I happen to have them both; perhaps if you are interested I could drop them by one night?'

Her face lit up with real pleasure making her azure blue eyes sparkle. 'Are you sure that's its not too much trouble, I mean if it's out of your way?' she asked. 'My name is Sally by the way.' 'Hi I'm Bill' I said. 'Oh, I know who you are; I've seen the local Bon Temps Gazette. There have been a couple of articles you've been in about your charity work. I really admire what you are trying to do for your community and the community in general' she said with sincerity.

I was struck by the honesty in Sally's reactions. She was intelligent and interesting to talk to and seemed so open to everything, so non judgemental and that was something I wasn't exactly used to. Everything has been such a struggle for so long. If am being honest, as much as I love and will go on loving Sookie, there were times when her fight to accept and understand Supes made things so much harder for me and for our relationship, yet here was Sally just accepting of things the way they are, without so much as a blink of the eye.

'If you really mean it, I get off at two most nights before Roy comes in to do the all night shift and I only work Mondays to Fridays so perhaps next time you are on your way through?' she was smiling shyly now. 'Sure, perhaps by then you will have finished the book and we can talk about your thoughts and your theories. Oh by the way, I like your tee shirt. Have you seen them?' 'The Stones, no I wish. Have you seen them live in concert?' she asked enthusiastically.

'Sure, I actually saw them back in the sixties when they first started out and Brian was their leader. He formed the group and he used to get them gigs in a little pub in Richmond. They were really something, so raw and bluesy. Brian played a mean slide guitar and Mick on the harp, it was really something.' I smiled as I remembered what it was like in the smoky little crowded room, the fledgling group starting their journey to the top. 'God it must have been an awesome time to be around. There was so much happening, there was so much change. It was a decade of change that still reverberates around the world, or maybe that's just me seeing it with rose coloured glasses and clichés. I read too much' she laughed.

'No, you're right it was a pretty interesting time to be around. There was a lot of free thinking going on and a _lot_ of free love, or so the establishment liked to put it and, it was frowned upon' I said laughing too 'but you know, nothing much changes; there are always going to be those that conform and just get on with living, those that fight against the norm just for the sake of it and those of us who just want to improve life for everyone.' I smiled.

'And let me guess, you are one of those that want to improve life for everyone, not just vamp ….sorry, not just your community' she said with something like respect in her voice. 'You know, it's not that hard to live and let live and that's all most of us want. But there are always going to be a few, humans or vampires that have to' 'go against the norm for the sake of it,' she said quoting me. I laughed 'Yes, that's it. And you are right; nothing is closed to an open mind'. We both laughed. 'You know you are different. Oh I don't just mean that you are a Vampire and different, I mean you seem so …philosophical and I guess that isn't how I pictured Vamps to be' she said a little embarrassed. 'And how many of us have you spoken to before?' I asked amused.

'Oh umm, you're my first, Vampire that is'.

The words shook me. A flashback to Sookie saying those same words permeated my brain and took me back to that first night. A wave of aching for her spread through me but I tried to ignore it. What good would it do me? I had to let go and live in the now. Sally had stopped what she was saying and was looking at me. 'Are you okay?' she asked. I hadn't realised that it was so painfully evident that something was amiss. 'I've said something to upset you haven't I? I'm sorry, I just don't know when to stop. It's just that I don't get many customers in here that actually take the time to talk and definitely no one that is interested in the same kind of stuff I'm into. Let's face it, most people around here don't think too much beyond their mortgage and the next football or baseball game. It's just so nice to have someone to talk to that doesn't judge me for my beliefs' she finished.

'I know what you are saying' I said. 'Yes, I can imagine that you do' she said, 'It must be really hard for you. I'm so sorry, it sucks. Oh, I didn't mean…' she burst out into a giggle, looking totally embarrassed now. I was laughing too and it felt really good. It had been a long time since I had really laughed and it broke the melancholia her previous comment had awoken. 'You should laugh more' she said still smiling 'your eyes sparkle when you laugh. I'm sorry now I've embarrassed you' she said with the hint of a wicked smile on her lips. I think if it was possible I would have been blushing and I think that she knew it as she stood there looking at me with a grin on her face.

'Oh god, I seem to be doing nothing but apologising to you. I told you my mouth runs away with me. I just can't seem to help myself' she was saying. 'I, umm well, I don't get too many compliments these days and umm …' I was tongue tied. I don't think I had ever met anyone so full of life and I just wasn't used to someone so free spirited I told myself. 'I really have embarrassed you' she said seriously now. 'Look I didn't mean to, I just say it like it is and like I said, I don't get much in the way of interesting conversation so please, I hope you aren't offended in any way' she finished. 'Sally, you haven't offended me, honestly. It's been really nice talking to you and I _will_ drop by with the DVD and book next time I'm on my way through, that's if it's all right with you?' 'I'd like that Bill, I'd like that a lot' she smiled.

I paid for the gas and the blood and told her again I would be back. I got in the car and continued on my way home. I was feeling really tired but it was a good feeling to know that out there you can run across someone who is willing to accept things for what they are. It was a refreshing feeling and gave me a glimmer of hope.

I didn't have time to think too much about things these days so it wasn't until three nights later when I got a call from Eric regarding trouble with a group of Fellowship of the Sun protestors outside Fangtasia that meant yet another visit to Shreveport. As I was getting ready to leave I decided to dig out the book and DVD I'd mentioned and drop in on Sally on the way back after finishing my business.

On the drive to Fangtasia I found myself thinking about her. I realised that she was the first girl I had thought about other than Sookie, for many years. There was an openness to her that I found so appealing, what was it she had said 'nothing is closed to an open mind' yes I really like her sentiments. I could just be myself and she didn't question it and for the first time in a very long time I felt good around a woman. It was so long since I had felt this relaxed that it almost came as a shock. How a brief meeting should have such an effect I wasn't sure but, and here I had to look at it clearly, it was simply meeting Sally and talking to another soul on a normal level that had done me the most good.

Walking into Fangtasia through a crowd of red neck protestors didn't even diminish my mood. 'Sire' Eric greeted me with a half nod of acknowledgement and light contempt in his voice. 'Eric you really need to start dealing with these issues yourself. You know how much havoc Russell has caused and it is up to us to try to overcome what his actions have left behind. I know how much damage it has done to us as a community and I know that it is costing you on a personal level. I have seen the revenue figures from Fangtasia and they are not good. You must be hurting.' 'Oh yes Bill, I am hurting' Eric's tone told me he was not talking about Fangtasia now but of matters of a personal nature and I was not going to go into it, full stop end of story. If he thought that I had deliberately let Sookie get hurt for my own purposes then he did not know me well and I owed him nothing by way of revealing my private circumstances to him.

'Bill there is something different about you tonight' Eric said with mild suspicion in his voice. I shrugged; he was clearly not used to my newly found confidence. 'Eric you need to take control of this situation with the protestors' I said in an attempt to focus him on the matters on hand. 'Use your charm, don't glamour them what ever you do, but I know you can do this and I am asking you to, for your own sake. You know the current AVL edict Nan has out at the moment, it's all about public relations and I do believe that it is the right path to take. Nan's delivery leaves a lot to be desired but you know that we have to put up with it for as long as the Authority is backing her, it's in our best interests to go with the flow. Let's face it, right now there isn't much else we can do' making my meaning clear without using words.

Eric looked at me thoughtfully, as if reading between the lines and he finally understood that while I might agree with the principles of our campaign for acceptance, Nan's lack of respect and at times utter contempt for those she felt beneath her, which included both Eric and myself was just as intolerable for me as it was for him. 'Why Bill, I do believe that you are right. You surprise me. I didn't think that you had it in you. Perhaps I have totally underestimated you' he said looking at me in a new light. 'There really is more to you than meets the eye. All right, leave it with me. I'll think of something and will keep you up to date on how it goes' he said smiling slightly 'Oh and Bill' he added as I was walking out the door 'perhaps I have been wrong about a few things in the past.'

And that I thought; was the closest I would ever get to an apology from Eric. Still, I got in the car with a few less concerns than I've had in a while. Looking at the time I realised that it was later than I thought. I would have to hurry if I was going to get to the gas station and stop off to see Sally before she left for the night. As it was, I got there just as she was leaving. I'd pulled off into a parking bay at the side of the building in semi darkness and got out to make my way around the corner to the front door when she turned the corner and bumped into me. She jumped and started in alarm as she stumbled in her fright. I reached out and held her arm to steady her and she gasped.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you I was just dropping in to give you these' I said holding out the book and the DVD. 'Oh Bill, you scared me' she said still shaking, and then when she realised I may have misconstrued what she had said, not wanting to hurt my feelings, she went on 'I didn't see you in the dark. I was miles away and wasn't looking where I was going and really it's very sweet of you to think of me and bring these for me.' She seemed to relax only slightly after her initial fright. 'Are you in a hurry to get these back?' she went on 'I just finished reading the first book, it's a lot to take in and think about'. 'Take your time, there's no hurry. I haven't watched the DVD for a long time now so please feel free to hang on to it and the book for as long as you want.'

I had to admit I was disappointed, she seemed distant compared to our first meeting and I was wondering if she had second thoughts about her liberal views so not wanting to push it, I wished her a good night and turned to go to my car.

'Bill' she called as she walked over to where I was standing 'Look I'm sorry, it's just that…' at that moment two cars with loud revellers on their way home from a night out pulled up to the filling pumps. Sally looked across to the two cars then looked at me and seemed to make up her mind. 'Do you want to sit in the car and talk for a minute, I mean that's if you've got time? I don't want to hold you up if you had any plans' she finished.

My car being closer we got in. 'Hey, nice ride' she said sinking in to the comfort of the BMW's lush upholstery before becoming serious again. 'Look I really am sorry about before. I didn't mean to seem cold but here's the thing, and I'm going to be totally honest with you cause that's all I can be. Roy, that's the owner's son that comes in and takes over from me, I think I mentioned him the other night? Well anyway, he happened to see one of the articles from the B T Gazette about you and said that you had been accused or questioned about your girlfriend going missing a while back. He said the talk was that you murdered her.'

Her words bought it all flooding back, I relived those horrible weeks after Sookie's disappearance. Andy Bellefleur's endless questions and accusations, Jason's suspicions, Tara's venomous insinuations and Sam's icy hatred, facing them all but unable to give them any hope when I had none myself. All the while I was feeling a gaping hole in my soul, my heart torn into millions of pieces, missing Sookie, aching for her and not knowing what had happened but feeling that if it wasn't for me she would still be here. Sally's words had torn through my soul again leaving me bereft. I had never felt so much pain as I did then in that moment, knowing that I would never be free of the guilt.

A single blood tear slid down my face. In all this time I had been unable to cry, despising myself too much to think me worthy of even expressing my emotions, let alone in front of anyone else. 'Oh god, oh I am so sorry. I didn't mean that I believed him. Bill, really I am just so sorry' she said as she hurriedly got a tissue from her purse and lent over to wipe the blood away. 'Please, don't cry. You have no idea how bad I feel. I never should have said anything but I was so pissed off with Roy bringing it up because I just felt that you aren't the type of person that would have hurt anyone. I mean I'm not naïve, I know you are a vampire so I suppose you must have done things but I mean well, I don't think that you'd hurt someone that you cared about'. 'Sally you are so wrong there' I said but seeing the look of alarm on her face I went on. 'I didn't kill Sookie if that's what you think, but I did hurt her emotionally, not on purpose but …' I trailed off.

'It's none of my business and I understand if you don't want to talk about it but right now you look like you need a friend'. I looked at her and she looked sincere in what she was saying and I had never considered that apart from talking to Jessica, I had no friends. I opened my mouth to speak but hesitated. She noticed and patted my hand as though soothing a child. 'Hey, look I understand. Everyone thinks that I'm out going and chatty but when it comes to really personal stuff, the stuff that only you know and feel deep down within yourself where you live…I find it really hard to talk about that stiff with anyone. I like to think of myself as enlightened but who am I kidding. I'm more uptight than the average person come to think of it' she said squeezing my hand a little for reassurance.

I don't know why but I sat there and talked to her of Sookie. I told her of what I felt was my betrayal of her without going into the actual circumstances but just in general and how I could not tell Sookie the reasons at the time and how she had not asked. I explained that we had broken up and how I felt that it was my fault she was missing. I told her of my love for her and what she meant to me, that Sookie was my very existence. I told her things that I had never told a single living soul, that I had not even told Sookie.

Sookie had never known how much I desperately would have loved to have given her children, my children, our children. I so wanted that and I wanted to watch her with my child growing inside her, touching her swollen belly knowing that it was our union that had created it. To experience again the feeling of wonder seeing my child born and knowing I could watch him grow into the man I could no longer be.

Then to have a second child, a golden headed daughter to be the image of her mother but with my blue eyes. To see Sookie in that little girl surrounded by our love, to protect her from the cruelty of an unforgiving world if she was born with Sookie's telepathy, that was what I was longing for. Every time we made love I would pray futilely for a miracle, that somehow I could give her what I so wanted knowing that in reality, it was just not possible.

I talked of what I knew I would have to face if Sookie and I remained together, for there would come a day that she would die and I would live on. My choices were simple; to choose the true death rather than go on without her or to turn her, and I wasn't even sure if that was a possibility with a Fae. Had it been possible, I doubted whether I could do that to Sookie, even when it meant that we could be together for all eternity. Would she even want that, even consider it and of course, it would have to be her choice?

I talked of how I just simply missed her. I missed her face, her voice, her touch, her laugh. I missed the simple intimacy of a connection with another living creature. To be alone again, after being so alone for so many years was a living hell that I wished on no one. Destiny leads us down a strange road and we go where it takes us, blindly following its path, little realising that we are at its cruel mercy until we find ourselves washed up on the shore of despair and left pondering why.

Sitting there talking to Sally was cathartic. I had emptied my heart of its burden to this almost total stranger and I felt stronger for it. If I was never to see her again I would not forget her, not ever. She sat patiently listening while I unburdened what was grieving me. She did not judge, she did not comment. She let me talk until I had nothing left to say.

'I can't know the pain and hurt you have been through but I was in a relationship that I thought was with my soul mate' she sadly said. 'I loved him with all my heart and I thought that he loved me but you don't deliberately cheat on the one person that is there for you if you love them do you and that's what he did? A little piece of my heart died the night I found out he'd been with someone else' she said quietly 'you get over it but you are never the same and you never ever forget. There is always the thought in the back of your mind what if, what if you had never found out, what would your life be like now? Would it be great or would it have turned out an even bigger disaster in the long run' she sighed. 'Bill I can understand a little of what you are going through. The worst thing is the loneliness. It's cold and creeps into your soul and over shadows everything. Having someone to talk to, just sharing those stupid little day to day moments and having someone to just touch, I miss that connection so much too.'

I couldn't help myself, leaning over I gently touched her face. She didn't pull away, instead she reached up to my hand and stroked it. I was kissing her before I even thought about it. Not a lustful kiss, although it did thoroughly arouse me and after all, I had not been with anyone for quite a while. This connection however, was one living being seeking shelter in the other's comfort and it felt good, it felt right. It was such a normal thing to sit and relate to another being without the complications of a relationship to cloud the situation and create difficulties.

I had not expected this to happen. Just touching her soft skin, feeling the heat of her lips and the wetness of her tongue, I was becoming more and more aroused. I so badly wanted a connection now on so many levels. Sally made little groaning sounds of her own. Her response had begun as mine had, seeking to ease a little loneliness but as our kisses deepened, my desires became her desires too. 'Not here' she said panting as she broke away from our embrace and looked at me, her azure eyes shining with a smoky light of passion. In my aroused state my fangs had popped but even that had not diminished her feelings for me. 'Come home with me, spend the night?' I questioned a little unsure of her answer. 'All right, Bill I'm trusting you and I want you to trust me too. I'm not going to hurt you emotionally. We just need to be together tonight, no strings attached, right?'

The drive back to Bon Temps didn't take that long as there was little traffic on the road. Pulling into the drive, Sally was surprised by the security around the house. The guards on duty were all hand picked so I knew I could rely on their discretion not to discuss my private matters with anyone and they were loyal to me beyond a shadow of a doubt. We got out of the car and went in.

'Can I get you a drink?' I asked 'or are you hungry, if you need anything please just let me know?' I said more to put myself at ease than to be polite. 'No Bill, I don't need anything' she said as she stepped closer to me then leaned in to kiss my cheek. Taking her hand I walked with her up the stairs to the guest bedroom. I could not bring myself to use the main bedroom. For me that would always be Sookie's room, our room.

Tonight was different.

To be continued…..


	2. Chapter 2

Night Shift

A chance encounter meeting at a petrol station has led Bill down an unexpected path in the aftermath of Sookie's disappearance.

My humble thanks go to Alan Ball, HBO & Charlaine Harris without who our lives would be very boring. I am returning Bill to their safe hands unharmed.

The character of Sally is my own creation.

Chapter 2

We stood at the side of the bed looking at each other. Now that we were here I felt hesitant to rush her but she put an end to that when she scuffed off her sandals and stepping forward said softly, 'Would you mind if I undressed you?' She slowly began unbuttoning my navy silk shirt, slipping her hands in to the silk folds to caress my chest. Gliding my hands under her tee shirt, I took it off with one movement and pulled her in to wrap my arms around her, holding our bodies together, skin pressing against skin.

We stood like this for a few moments just relishing the touch of each others bodies. It felt so good, the warmth of her flowing against me as she twined the hair on my chest around her fingers. Kissing her, my hands slipped down her back pressing her hips into to me, holding her tightly to me. She could not help but notice how much I wanted her. I was so hard, it had been such a long time for me, but I would not hurry her. As much as I was more than ready for her, I would let her take her time if that was what she wanted. Sally however had other ideas.

Reaching back she undid her bra then held me to her, our hips pressed even tighter, all the while our mouths locked together exploring each others tongues. A wave of need swept through me as I felt her reaching for the buckle of my belt and she undid it, then the button and zip of my pants. I asked for no invitation now as I undid her jeans and slid them down her silky legs, gently lifting her at the same time and laying her on the bed. 'Please, let me look at you first, it's been a while for me and I just want to hold onto this moment' she whispered huskily. I stood by the edge of the bed, her azure eyes etching this moment in her memory.

She reached out with her hand to touch me. The touch made me jump and as aroused as I was, a fresh wave of excitement washed through me. 'You have no idea of how beautiful you are, do you?' she said, more of a statement than a question. In all my years I had never experienced this kind of open honesty with a woman as far as sexual matters went, not even with my Sookie. She had been a virgin and I loved that she had given herself to me and I had loved teaching her about her body and how to pleasure herself and to pleasure me.

Lorena had been a different matter entirely. I did not look at the depraved acts we had committed as sexual. They were no better than ritual killings as far as I was concerned. I felt shame and disgust for my part in the hideous banquets of bloody feasting and sexual degeneracy. It was not me, not my nature but Lorena had taken me as a virginal vampire and misled my tutelage down a path of utter degradation espousing sexual debauchery as the only way to live in a vampire existence. That was not honesty that was treachery in its basest form.

Sally was different. She had experienced the pleasures of a sexual relationship with someone that she had loved. It was so obvious to me that she had truly been in love and had enjoyed all the pleasures of her past relationship, was not afraid to be open about enjoying it and like me, she missed that part of being with someone. I was impressed with her honesty and her fearlessness and found it to be so very sensual and exciting. She was holding me now as I lay beside her, stroking me as I cupped her breast in one hand, kissing her hardened nipples while sliding my other hand down her hips to stroke her softly.

Taking my hand in hers, she slid it between her legs in an invitation to go further.

As I moved her legs apart and rolled her onto her back she let out a soft moan that shot through me, my need for her now palpable. I needed her and she needed me and I quickly moved to lie on top of her. She gasped as I entered her and a wave of pleasure coursed through me as I gently thrust into her. 'Oh please Bill, it's been such a long time for me, I want so much to feel you come in me.'She looked into my eyes with a longing for that unique connection you can only have when you witness the power of an orgasm on another's face, witnessing a glimpse into the soul.

Her words were enough to fuel the desire in me, I could no longer hold back my seed, thrusting deeper with each movement until we saw each other's faces share the connection we had both been so longing to feel. We held each other panting from the sheer exhilaration. Unwilling yet to break the intimacy of the moment, we lay tangled together luxuriating in each others experience, sharing something that we both had wanted and wanted badly. 'I _so_ needed that' she said laughing softly. 'So did I' I whispered into her hair as I kissed her head.

'Would it have been different if you had…bitten me' she said a little hesitantly, unsure of how exactly to phrase it. I had made no attempt to take blood from her; that was not what this was about. I just wanted the pure comfort of some kind of normal warmth in my life, something that I hadn't had since Sookie, and I needed it to keep in touch with my humanity. 'Yes, it would have been different'. 'Bill you know that I wouldn't really have minded if you had, but I am glad that you didn't. I can't tell you how much I just needed this. I think that you needed it too' she said sleepily.

'You are tired. Sally, I need to tell you before you fall asleep; this room is light tight so I can rest here when the sun comes up but if you wake up during the day please don't be afraid, I…umm I won't be the same. You don't need to be alarmed for me but I will be cold. Sally, I will look to be what I am, I am not a living being. If you do not choose to stay until I awake then just ask one of my security staff to take you back to your car at the filling station. They will not question you, they will do as you ask. Or, if you would like to wait until sun down I can take you back but I must warn you, when I awake I am generally umm…' I don't know why, but I was embarrassed to go on 'well generally I am pretty aroused when waking.'

Sally smiled 'Well if that's the case, I think that I might just have to hang around if you don't mind, I would love a second helping please, that's if you don't think me too greedy' she said with a wicked smile on her face. I had to admit, I did love her honesty. 'Well, if you weren't too tired you could have that second helping right now' I said unable to keep a slight smirk off my face. 'I don't know why but I am suddenly feeling wide awake' she said playfully as she rolled on top of me.

By sun up Sally had fallen asleep after being fully satisfied for a second time. We had come together with as much urgency and desire as the first time and had lain holding each other, happy to just relax in each others arms. As I felt the first pull of the suns rays, my last thought before succumbing was one of contentment. Even if I was to wake and find Sally gone I would still be grateful for tonight, a small escape from the past and a hope for the present, of the future I did not know and did not guess.

I woke that evening to find myself alone in bed. For a moment I thought I must have dreamt the night before but then I could smell Sally's fragrance on me. I felt the disappointment of her leaving tugging at me, regretting that she had not stayed but knowing that it was perhaps more than I could have hoped for. At least there had been last night I thought, as I laid there thinking how unexpected our meeting had been. At that moment the bedroom door opened and Sally walked in smiling with a warmed bottle of True Blood in one hand and a glass of juice in the other.

Coming over to the bed, she smiled as she put them on the bedside table saying 'good morning' as she did so. 'I thought you had gone' I said unable to keep myself from smiling, I was so pleased to see her. 'Now Bill, why would I leave after you told me what you are like when you wake up' she was blushing now, her eyes luminous. Reaching over I pulled her down on to the bed. 'Well' I said 'why don't I just show you how pleased I am to see that you stayed?' 'Oh yes please, I would just love to see that' she replied invitingly.

We spent the next hour revelling in each others bodies, exploring and discovering. I felt like I had been born again. A part of me felt healed, as though after a long illness I was able to finally get out of bed and walk in the sun and it felt wonderful to shake off the mantle of grief I had worn for so long. It wasn't merely the sexual relief that I needed, it was the deeper emotional wound that was beginning to heal. I knew that for as long as I walked the planet I would never forgive myself nor would I ever forget Sookie but I could not go on if I was to be as I had been, merely existing without a hope.

Over the next few months Sally and I saw each other as much as we could. I would drop in to pick her up when she had finished her shift and we would go back to my home or, if the weather was fine, we would go for moonlight walks or swim in the lake close to Bon Temps. We made love with the passion we felt on that first night, delighted with each others bodies, open to all experiences bar one; I would not drink from her. At other times there was a tenderness that fulfilled our needs for our lost loves and empty hearts.

We talked of her life, her hopes and her interests. We listened to all kinds of different music from my vast collection and found we both shared a liking for the unusual. I had played the sound track to Chariots of the Gods and she had loved its quirkiness. I introduced her to Tuvian Throat Singing, remembering how annoyed it had made Sookie the night we had fought after our first visit to Fangtasia. She listened enthralled to Brian Jone's Pipes of Pan album, a recording of Joujouka tribal music but always, we seemed to end up back playing the Stones and came to the conclusion that out of all their songs we both agreed to loving You Can't Always Get What You Want as our favourite. We watched movies and read books and talked endlessly of any thing and everything.

She had always wanted to write and paint and had toyed with the idea of completing a university degree in journalism. She was full of ideas and interested in anything that she hadn't experienced. There was nothing that she wasn't willing to open her mind to. I talked of my life before I was turned, a simpler time of gracious manners and polite society. I told her of the changes I had witnessed since being turned, the futility of two world wars and the growing awareness of people power in the sixties, woman's lib in the seventies, the greed is good of the eighties, the new age thinking of the nineties and of global warming with its implications now and for the future.

As we lay on a blanket under the stars we would talk for hours of the universe, the possibilities of life on other planets and how this planet would change if a craft landed on the lawn of the White House and aliens 'came out' so to speak. We wondered what would be the results of such an event. Would man kind finally grow up and accept that we live on a small planet in a big universe and it was unrealistic and egotistical to assume we were the only life that existed. If humans had trouble accepting Vampires how would the knowledge of life from other planets be accepted? Would the general population be overwhelmed with fear or would they be in awe of the possibilities of a new world.

There was nothing, no topic she was afraid to discuss. Together we pondered the technological revolution that was taking place and wondered if any part of it was Alien technology back engineered, as some believed it to be. We talked of morality, sexuality, racism, bigotry and class. We agreed how appalling it was to live in a world where there was still so much abject poverty and starvation, while western society produced and wasted masses amounts of food. Sally talked of her attempt to have a recycling system implemented at the garage, change we agreed, starts with one person taking a small step in the hopes that many will follow.

One night she shyly showed me a story she had written incorporating some of the themes we had spoken of. 'Sally, this is so good. You know you really should do something with this.' She beamed at me with real pleasure. 'You are wasting your talents working in a gas station. You could be doing so much with your life, don't let it slip by you and live in regret' I implored her. 'Bill, you know that I have to work for a living and I can't afford university. Besides' she hesitated 'it would mean that I would have to leave here.'

We had never talked of love, never spoken the words, but I did love her and I knew that she did love me. We had found each other when we were both in need and at our most vulnerable. She had been hurt and trying hard to get on with her life, I had been lost and resigned to never feeling anything again. The love I felt for her was not the same as my love for Sookie, how could it be? Sookie had bought me back to life, Sally was sustaining that life with her companionship. If there was one thing that I had learnt from my relationship with Sookie it was that when you care for someone, really care, then you have to learn to let go. I said nothing and let the subject drop but I knew what I was going to do, as painful as it may be to me.

Several weeks after this conversation I picked her up one night and we drove to our usual spot for an evening under the stars. The weather was warm and it was a clear balmy night. I had been thinking a lot of her lately and it had been three days since we had seen each other, my duties keeping us apart. Spreading a blanket over the thick soft grass, we had lain looking up at the stars when she spoke, breaking the silence. 'Bill, why have you never attempted to take my blood?' she questioned. 'You said that first time that it was different but you have never mentioned it again since then.'

Making up my mind I asked 'Would you like me to?' 'Bill, there are no strings attached in our relationship. You know that I care for you deeply but you know that I do not hold you to any promises, real or imagined. We met, we needed each other and I love that we are so comfortable with each other that we can be totally honest, so I am being honest right now. I want to know what it's like, I want to experience you without any restrictions. I want to feel your darkness' she prompted as she rolled on her side swinging her leg over mine to entwine me in her embrace.

It had been hard at times over the months to hold myself in check. Ours was not the kind of relationship that I wanted to complicate with a blood bond. It was a friendship like none I had ever had, not even with Sookie. I had thought about taking this step but had consciously decided that it was not something I was willing to do, to jeopardise our friendship for the sake of the blood lust. But now Sally had made that decision for us and if she was willing, then I was too.

'You are sure?' I questioned without needing to, her body telling me that she was a willing participant, my voice catching in my throat. Rolling onto her back, her legs pulling me on top of her as she did so, I felt the darkness swimming through my body, ready to respond to her desire. The heat of her skin through her clothes begging to be touched, to be kissed and to be taken, completely drove me mad and finally succumbing, in one swift movement that left Sally gasping, I ripped off her shirt and bra.

She pulled off her jeans while locked into a frenzy of kissing, driving each other wild with our tongues, totally abandoning any previous restraints that had held us from this moment. Reaching down I ripped her skimpy lace panties off. She moaned as I entered her thrusting hard, holding back nothing. Slightly lifting herself I moved deeper within her, reaching that magic place of ecstasy that liberates your mind from your body. I could feel her reaching her peak as she felt me grow even harder and jerk within her. It drove us both to distraction, but we held back wanting the experience to last.

When I finally could not hold back any longer I was barely able to whisper 'Sally, I have to come. Are you sure?' I questioned again, knowing there would be no taking this back. In answer she wrapt her legs even tighter in their embrace and frantically kissed me until I felt the unstoppable wave of orgasm ripping through my body and hers. As we reached that moment of release she turned her head to open her neck to me. I sank my fangs into her soft flesh sucking hard and we flew into a swirl of shining crystal sparks, a moment that seemed to last for an eternity.

As we lay panting in each others arms I softly stroked her until her heartbeat slowed down and her breathing became normal again. 'You never told me it would be like that' she mused in wonder. 'I feel like nothing will ever be the same' she said with awe in her voice. 'Did you ever take acid in the sixties cause that is what I imagine it's like. Everything is so heightened, so real.' I laughed softly 'No, Vampires don't tend to take drugs, we umm…well we don't really need them.'

She smiled 'Thank you. I know that you have shared the innermost part of who you are with me and I know that was really hard for you wasn't it? You don't regret it do you?' 'Now how could I regret it?' I answered as I playfully cupped her breast. 'Bill, could you come again, I mean right now?' she questioned. 'Sally I could come all night if it didn't wear you out' I said as I moved her hand to feel my hardness. Her breath caught in her throat and now, because of the blood bond, I felt her body responding. The fresh wave of desire rolling through her delighted me.

I had been so unsure of how she would react to my taking her blood but I need not have worried. I should have known that she would embrace it just as she embraces life itself, with total enthusiasm. It was another experience for her in her quest to live life to its fullest and I admired her for it. She had not been afraid to give herself freely to me, she trusted me and I would not make mistakes or take advantage of her trust.

Full of surprises tonight, alive and unmistakably adventurous, she swung astride me and took me in her, rousing my desire even more. I felt her excitement and gave in to it, our mouths and bodies joined as one until that moment of release when I took from her again.

'Are you all right?' I asked concerned when she had not spoken for several minutes as we lay in the aftermath of climax. 'I have something to tell you Bill and I am not sure how I am going to say this but I need to' she said quietly. 'I received a letter earlier this week, it's from the University and they have found a sponsor for me. It will mean that should I accept, I will have to leave here and will be going to New Orleans. I only have a few days to decide' she said looking at me questioningly. 'Sally, you are an intelligent and gifted person. You have a talent that is going to waste. The world is out there waiting for you to make new discoveries, go out there and find them. Live your life to the fullest. You are a free spirit. You know that is what I have said to you before and you know that I want that for you.'

'Bill, is it you that is the sponsor?' I sighed, would she understand that although I did not want to lose her friendship, I could not live with the thought that it would hold her back and limit her from being the person she had the potential to be. 'Bill?' 'Sally, I am going to miss you. You know that I want your happiness, not just now but in the future. I am old enough to know how quickly the years fly by. If you don't take this opportunity now and let another year go by then before you know it five years or ten years have gone and you are no longer the same person with the same aspirations. Take the chance Sally; you can always come back if you change your mind.' 'Bill, I am going to miss you so much' she said smiling through her tears.

Within the space of a week Sally was gone. We had one last night under the stars to talk about anything and everything. We made love and we had Vampire sex as well, or so Sally called it laughingly. We held each other as we memorised the feeling of our bodies moulded together to take us through the lonely nights to come. I gave her a small gift as we parted and unwrapping it she looked at me with tears in her eyes; it was a signed copy of Chariots of the Gods and the sequel Return to the Stars, the book and it's companion that had started our relationship. 'You have a wonderful mind now go out and make your own discoveries and remember: nothing is closed to an open mind, Love Bill' I had written on the card.

As ever, full of surprises, she had something for me and unwrapping the package, I found a black tee shirt with a reversed negative print of Brian Jones circa 1965. She had painted it herself and once again I was amazed at her talents. Letting her go was hard on both of us and as I held her tightly to me and kissed her one last time I knew that it was the right decision to make for her. She had hand made a card to go with the tee shirt, the inscription on the card inside simply said: 'You can't always get what you want but you get what you need'.

I awoke the next night after Sally left and knew; Sookie was alive, she had come back.

Finis


End file.
